scholarly journals The Influence Of Personal, Family And Social Variables On Technology-Oriented Venture Creation: Theoretical Case Of Internet Cafés In Bloemfontein, South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 1063-1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patient Rambe ◽  
Bridgette Mokgosi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Venture Creation ◽  
Personalised Learning ◽  
Internet Resources ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Internet Cafes

In an increasingly competitive, technology-driven world, the pressure for small, technology-oriented firms in developing countries to be productive and efficient has never been more intense. For technology-oriented firms such as internet cafés, which are now in constant competition with inexpensive, low threshold, ubiquitous technologies such as mobile phones and social media for availing internet resources and providing personalised learning environments respectively, the need to understand the critical determinants of the establishment and sustenance of small technology-oriented ventures demands rigorous investigation. Despite the central place of internet cafés as the dominant points-of-access of internet resources for low socio-economic groups in South Africa, there is paucity of in-depth knowledge on the critical variables influencing the establishment of such technology-oriented ventures. This research gap is attributed to the independent and fragmented examination of micro-level (personal demographic variables such as gender, age, income and language of manager/owners), institutional (such as family role models, family entrepreneurial values and support) and macro-level variables (as manager/owner’s prior scientific literacy such as their participation in STEM subjects, social prejudice) that shape and influence the creation of technology-oriented ventures. The thesis of this theoretical paper, therefore, is that an integrated perspective that combines these micro-level, institutional and macro level factors would provide a more inclusive, authentic view of the process of establishing small internet cafés in emerging economies. The contribution of this paper is an integrated conceptual framework premised on the combined influences of determinants of technology-oriented ventures and their implications for technology oriented venture creation.

scholarly journals Developing leaders by supporting their transitions into senior positions

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicky H.D. Terblanche ◽  
Ruth M. Albertyn ◽  
Salome Van Coller-Peter
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Senior Leadership ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Leadership Transitions ◽  
Support Strategies ◽  
Systemic Level ◽  
Micro Level

The need for social transformation in South Africa is intrinsically linked to the transformation of corporate South Africa. Strong senior leadership is required to ensure that organisations remain sustainable during this transformation. There is, however, a shortage of skilled senior leaders, hence the need for leadership development. When leaders transition into senior positions, they face a plethora of personal and systemic challenges. Many fail with resulting disastrous effects on individual (micro) and organisational (macro) levels. This research investigates the challenges faced by newly promoted senior leaders in order to lay the groundwork for designing support strategies for individuals and organisations. The qualitative findings suggest that leadership transitions present unexpected challenges on a personal and systemic level to such individuals and that they do not receive adequate support from their organisations. For transformation to be successful and sustainable on macro level, concurrent and appropriate micro-level support and development are essential.

Macro/Micro Dynamics in South Africa: Why the Reconciliation Process Will Not Reduce Violence

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingie Hovland
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Truth Commissions ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
The People ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Reconciliation Process

The reconciliation process in South Africa has been hailed as an astounding example of a non-violent transition to democracy, and its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has subsequently served as the starting point for reflections on reconciliation, transitional justice and the possibility of truth commissions in other countries. This article suggests that it is necessary to examine South Africa's reconciliation process more critically, focusing on why it has not brought about a reduction in the high levels of violence. It is argued that the reconciliation process has failed in this respect - despite good intentions - because it has not managed to transform the macro/micro dynamic in South Africa, i.e. the interaction between macro-level divisions and micro-level tensions which have fed off each other throughout South Africa's history. Macro-level violence has included - and still includes - economic policies that generate wealth for a minority while perpetuating the production of poverty for the majority. Micro-level violence includes extremely high levels of violent incidents at an interpersonal and local level. The use of the concept ‘reconciliation’ in post-apartheid South Africa may in certain respects have served as opium for the people - opium that has enabled continued accommodation of the interaction between macro and micro-level violence in the country.

scholarly journals The challenge of inadequate achievement in mathematics: Focus on a meta-approach

2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-287
Author(s):  
Kobus Maree
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
South African ◽  
The State ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Meso Level ◽  
Mathematics Classrooms ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Achievement In Mathematics

As is the case elsewhere in the world, all stakeholders in South Africa are deeply concerned about the level and scope of underachievement in mathematics, not only at Grade 12 level, but, indeed, at University, University of Technology and Further Education and Training levels. These concerns assume a deeper dimension in light of the fact that inadequate achievement in mathematics inevitably will have a ripple effect on the academic situation in any country: inadequate achievement in mathematics precludes learners from applying for admission to sought-after fi elds of study, which, in turn, prevents numerous learners from realising their true potential and, eventually, from being happy and successful in careers that they might otherwise have been able to execute successfully. It goes without saying that inadequate achievement in mathematics will impact negatively on the overall economic situation in any country (even more so in a developing country such as South Africa). Truth being, achievement in mathematics amounts to equipping oneself with survival skills. In this article, the spotlight shifts from a narrow and outdated focus on problems that are associated with inadequate achievement in mathematics to possible solutions for this disconcerting situation and the implied challenge it raises. The focus is thus on three levels that collectively underpin and impact on achievement in mathematics, viz. the macro level, the meso level and the micro level. The macro level refers mainly to the input by the national government (and, by default, the National Department of Education). In the fi rst instance, it is the responsibility of the state to provide adequate schooling facilities for all learners, irrespective of where they fi nd themselves. Furthermore, it is the duty of the state to ensure that every learner has access to basic facilities, including food, water, sanitation and housing. The state (via the National Department of Education) is also obliged to ensure that the basic philosophy that underpins mathematics education in the country is scrutinised continuously and that changes be made to existing teaching philosophy should these be recommended by the majority of stakeholders. Case in point: the implementation of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) in South African mathematics classrooms has now already been under the spotlight for a number of years and there seems to be general consensus that it is essential to facilitate a number of basic changes to this philosophy and (especially) to the way in which it is implemented in South African classrooms. Teachers, for instance, constantly complain about matters such as an administrative overload, unacceptably high stress levels (brought about by factors broadly associated with OBE-related issues) and the fact that the laudable philosophy underpinning OBE is not consistently realised in practice. At the meso level, the spotlight falls on factors related to teacher training. For example, it seems highly advisable to optimise teacher training in mathematics, to facilitate training in emotional intelligence, to conduct a national audit on the number of mathematics teachers currently teaching mathematics (in terms of how many teachers are currently in the system, where these teachers fi nd themselves, their level of training, etc.) to determine training needs in mathematics and to facilitate a more equitable distribution of teachers across the country. For example, it is proposed that all graduating teachers be compelled to do community service in an effort to facilitate a better understanding of the challenges that teachers in various parts of the country face, thereby breaking down barriers between people. At micro level, the emphasis is on measures that might be taken to provide guidance to parents on how to assist their children in mathematics on the one hand and on practical ways in which to help learners in mathematics perform better in mathematics and leave school better equipped to deal with typical challenges at tertiary level on the other. It is hoped that this article will contribute to an improvement in the disconcerting situation to be found in mathematics classrooms across South Africa. I sincerely hope to have sensitised readers to the need not only to talk about the situation in mathematics in South Africa, but instead to start acting and in so doing to impact on the situation in practical ways.

Macro-Level policy and Micro-Level planning

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3.1-3.18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Barkhuizen ◽  
Ute Knoch
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
South African ◽  
National Language ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Linguistic Context ◽  
Language Practices ◽  
Micro Level

This article reports on a study which investigated the language lives of Afrikaans-speaking South African immigrants in New Zealand. Particularly, it focuses on their awareness of and attitudes to language policy in both South Africa and New Zealand, and how these influence their own and their family’s language practices. Narrative interviews with 28 participants living in towns and cities across New Zealand reveal that while living in South Africa they were generally aware of macro-level language policies in the country, and were able to articulate how these policies influenced language practices at work and within their families. The absence of an explicit national language policy in New Zealand means that these immigrants, on arrival in New Zealand, base their understanding of the linguistic context in the country on the language practices that they observe in their day-to-day lives. It is these observations which guide their decision-making with regard to their own and their family’s language practices.

scholarly journals Comics Polysystem in Iran: A Case Study of the Persian Translations of Les Aventures de Tintin

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 174
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sadegh Kenevisi ◽  
Mohammad Saleh Sanatifar
Keyword(s):  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Islamic Revolution ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Target Culture ◽  
Shed Light

Despite the popularity of comics, the subject of their translation has remained notably underexplored. Comics swept into the market of Iran in the 1970s; however, they were a new and unfamiliar genre in the country. One of the earliest comic series to appear in Iran was Les Aventures de Tintin, translated by Khosro Sami’i and published by Universal Publications before the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979. Following the Revolution, Universal discontinued the series in Iran and other publishers briefly took it up; after a few years, publication of the books was discontinued. It was not until 2000 that the series was re-introduced by Tarikh-o Farhang and Andishe-ye No Publications. Moreover, as a result of the ubiquitous availability of comic books on the Internet, scanlations made by Tintinophiles have burgeoned recently. This study examines the translations into Persian of Les Aventures de Tintin from these three groups (the early editions of the 1970s and 1980s, the revived publications of 2000, and the Internet scanlations) and attempts to shed light on the position of comics in the translated polysystem of Iran. For this purpose, Even-Zohar’s Polysystem theory (“Polysystem Studies” 9-26) and Tamaki’s approach (119-146) are employed. The synthetic model of translation description proposed by Lambert and Van Gorp (42-53) is used to examine the translations in three layers: 1) preliminary data, 2) macro-level, and 3) micro-level. Onomatopoeic representations are analysed at the micro-level to investigate the extent to which their translations have broken target culture norms and conventions. The results of the study reveal a gap for comics, an empty niche to be filled, in the translated polysystem of Iran and, accordingly, a canonized position for this genre and its translations. This position, however, has migrated to a less central place in more recent translations.

Mechanisms and microfoundations in International Relations theory

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-389
Author(s):  
WILLIAM MCGINLEY
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Central Place ◽  
International Relations Theory ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Ir Theory ◽  
Unit Level ◽  
The Past ◽  
Micro Level

AbstractThis article looks at prospects for a mechanism-based research strategy in the study of International Relations. Over the past three decades, the notions of mechanism and microfoundation have taken a central place in discussions of explanation and ‘micro-macro’ problems in social science. The upshot of much of this discussion has been a call for mechanism-based explanations – explanations of macro-level phenomena in terms of micro-level mechanisms. Some work of this kind can already be found in IR theory, including in systemic research. However, a number of IR theorists, including Kenneth Waltz and Alexander Wendt, have argued that micro-oriented strategies like this will not work, pointing to incongruities between system- and unit-level phenomena. This article argues that these pose less hindrance to a fully-developed model of mechanism-based explanation, and that the field has much to gain from further exploration of this strategy. In particular, mechanism-based explanations could help bring structure back to the centre of discussion in IR theory, and might even give us a way out of the field's own micro-macro problems.

Macro-Level policy and Micro-Level planning

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3.1-3.18
Author(s):  
Gary Barkhuizen ◽  
Ute Knoch
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
South African ◽  
National Language ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Linguistic Context ◽  
Language Practices ◽  
Micro Level

This article reports on a study which investigated the language lives of Afrikaans-speaking South African immigrants in New Zealand. Particularly, it focuses on their awareness of and attitudes to language policy in both South Africa and New Zealand, and how these influence their own and their family’s language practices. Narrative interviews with 28 participants living in towns and cities across New Zealand reveal that while living in South Africa they were generally aware of macro-level language policies in the country, and were able to articulate how these policies influenced language practices at work and within their families. The absence of an explicit national language policy in New Zealand means that these immigrants, on arrival in New Zealand, base their understanding of the linguistic context in the country on the language practices that they observe in their day-to-day lives. It is these observations which guide their decision-making with regard to their own and their family’s language practices.

Successful Entrepreneurship as Developmental Outcome

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 174-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Obschonka ◽  
Rainer K. Silbereisen ◽  
Eva Schmitt-Rodermund
Keyword(s):  
Big Five ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Authoritative Parenting ◽  
Venture Creation ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
Entrepreneurial Skills ◽  
Age Appropriate

Applying a lifespan approach of human development, this study examined pathways to entrepreneurial success by analyzing retrospective and current data. Along the lines of McClelland’s ideas of early entrepreneurship development and Rauch and Frese’s Giessen-Amsterdam model on venture success, we investigated the roles of founders’ adolescent years (early role models, authoritative parenting, and early entrepreneurial competence), personality traits (Big Five pattern), and entrepreneurial skills and growth goals during venture creation. Findings were derived from structural equation modeling studying two comparable samples of founders (N = 531) and nascent founders (N = 100) from Germany. Across both samples, reports on age-appropriate entrepreneurial competence in adolescence and an entrepreneurial Big Five profile predicted entrepreneurial skills during venture creation, which in turn predicted founders’ setting of ambitious growth goals and entrepreneurial success. Early entrepreneurial competence was related to the availability of entrepreneurial role models and authoritative parenting during adolescence as well as to an entrepreneurial Big Five profile. In line with prospective reports on early precursors of entrepreneurship, the findings illuminate the development of entrepreneurship in general and entrepreneurial success in particular over the lifespan, especially with regard to factors relevant in the adolescent years and the interplay with personality across different developmental periods.

Varieties of non-obvious meaning in CL and CADS: from ‘hindsight post-dictability’ to sweet serendipity

Corpora ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Partington
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Discourse Studies ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Special Relevance

In this paper, I want to examine the special relevance of (non)obviousness in corpus linguistics through drawing on case studies. The research discussion is divided into two parts. The first is an examination of (non)obviousness at the micro-level, that is, in lexico-grammatical analyses, whilst the second looks at the more macro-level of (non)obviousness on the plane of discourse. In the final sections, I will examine various types of non-obvious meaning one can come across in Corpus-assisted Discourse Studies (CADS), which range from: ‘I knew that all along (now)’ to ‘that's interesting’ to ‘I sensed that but didn't know why’ (intuitive impressions and corpus-assisted explanations) to ‘I never even knew I never knew that’ (serendipity or ‘non-obvious non-obviousness’, analogous to ‘unknown unknowns’).

Panpsychism versus Panprotopsychism and the Subject-Summing Problem

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Goff
Keyword(s):  
Macro Level ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Combination Problem ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Russellian Monism ◽  
Nature Of Matter

This is the first of two chapters discussing the most notorious problem facing Russellian monism: the combination problem. This is actually a family of difficulties, each reflecting the challenge of how to make sense of everyday human and animal experience intelligibly arising from more fundamental conscious or protoconscious features of reality. Key challenges facing panpsychist and panpsychist forms of Russellian monism are considered. With respect to panprotopsychism, there is the worry that it collapses into noumenalism: the view that human beings, by their very nature, are unable to understand the concrete, categorical nature of matter. With respect to panpsychism, there is the subject-summing problem: the difficulty making sense of how micro-level conscious subjects combine to produce macro-level conscious subjects. A solution to the subject-summing problem is proposed, and it is ultimately argued that panpsychist forms of the Russellian monism are to be preferred on grounds of simplicity and elegance.

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